What Can I Do?

[allgipan]

Hi my stats are as follows using an API test kitPH 7.6Ammonia 0.25Nitrite 0Nitrate 40Currently Carbon filter and Ammonia filter are out due to Methylene Blue treatment!For a while now the fish have been showing loss of colour but generally been well. Then a month ago they started to flick on objects, only one spot on a couple of fish and literally scratching scales out anything they could scratch on. I treated them all in the tank for white spot as per instructions and nothing! No spots to be see now but they are still flicking and now a neon tetra is having trouble breathing and one Corydora is a little aggresive and just generally acting odd! They all look completely clear, no redness no attachments and eating and swimming fine. Temp is at 27 and water changes are all up to date.What is going on please?A worried owner I also just remembered to ask if anyone had used nitrate remover pillows and should I as the water is high in nitrate before going in!

 

[-germ-]

Why have you got an ammonia reading? What was the ammonia filter you used?
Are you certain that the tanks stats have always been perfect before the current treatment?
Flicking, irritation can be a sign of poor water conditions....

Personally i'd keep the ammonia filter and nitrate pillow removed and maintain good water stats via regular (daily20-60%) water changes.....

What did the original spots look like?

 

[allgipan]

Why have you got an ammonia reading? What was the ammonia filter you used?
Are you certain that the tanks stats have always been perfect before the current treatment?
Flicking, irritation can be a sign of poor water conditions....

Personally i'd keep the ammonia filter and nitrate pillow removed and maintain good water stats via regular (daily20-60%) water changes.....

What did the original spots look like?

I dont have the ammonia filter or carbon filter in because I am using methylene blue at the minute. The spots were tiny and white. I have had to euthanase a neon tetra tonight as suddenly it deteriorated and had the look of one I lost 2 months back, its as if its top lip vanished overnight, yet no whote fluff, no spots redness or anything?

Is it possible I am jumping in with meds too much?

The ammonia filter is the one that is in my juwel compact box, its standard. I dont have a pillow yet, I was purely asking.

 

[-germ-]

I'd say the main risk is, if the ammonia remover has been working successfully with its removal you will now have an uncycled tank (only hypothetical mind, alot of ammonia removers don't work and as far as i know, all that do expire after a certain amount of time.) If ammonia has been being removed successfully then your tank will not have developed the neccessary nitrosomonas bacteria required to process ammonia into nitrite.
You should pay careful attention to your water stats for the time being.
You could try looking out for piscinoodinium which is often difficult to make out, especially under certain lighting.
Heres a fairly comprehensive and narcissitic link on oodinium--> I'm the prettiest link alive.
( links these days!)
Note; Oodinium can be hard to get rid of so may not have been affected by the methylene treatment. Your symptoms certainly are consistent with protozoan infection. The other thing to bear in mind is that with the use of the ammonia remover it may have expired and the tank cycled fish in (thus effecting their health negatively) and with its removal you are now suffering a mini cycle due to the loss of bacteria.

Basically i'm not sure; flicking is most commonly linked with protozoans and poor water quality.
Just a few of my thoughts on the matter

 

[allgipan]

I'd say the main risk is, if the ammonia remover has been working successfully with its removal you will now have an uncycled tank (only hypothetical mind, alot of ammonia removers don't work and as far as i know, all that do expire after a certain amount of time.) If ammonia has been being removed successfully then your tank will not have developed the neccessary nitrosomonas bacteria required to process ammonia into nitrite.
You should pay careful attention to your water stats for the time being.
You could try looking out for piscinoodinium which is often difficult to make out, especially under certain lighting.
Heres a fairly comprehensive and narcissitic link on oodinium--> I'm the prettiest link alive.
( links these days!)
Note; Oodinium can be hard to get rid of so may not have been affected by the methylene treatment. Your symptoms certainly are consistent with protozoan infection. The other thing to bear in mind is that with the use of the ammonia remover it may have expired and the tank cycled fish in (thus effecting their health negatively) and with its removal you are now suffering a mini cycle due to the loss of bacteria.

Basically i'm not sure; flicking is most commonly linked with protozoans and poor water quality.
Just a few of my thoughts on the matter

No, thanks loads for your help. I went for broke at the weekend and did a 30% water change, cleaned the pump out and found the magnetic pump had jammed up, after all this and putting the carbonand ammonia filter back in they seem happy as anything!

Thanks again xxx

 

[scooterchick]

Why do you use an ammonia filter?

 

[allgipan]

Why do you use an ammonia filter?

Hi, its fitted as standard in the Juwul box filters, supposed to help reduce ammonia xxx

 

[Jabba]

its fitted as standard in the Juwul box filters, supposed to help reduce ammonia

Meant to help Juwel profits more likely ...

Better off leaving it out and letting nature do the work.

I'm not sure of your particular filters config but I'd use standard sponges - leave the fancy stuff out all it does is cost money and its effectiveness is questionable, I'd use at least two so you can clean one and leave the other in a cycle every couple of weeks (alternate which sponge you wash out, get normal ceramic noodles or something like EhfiSubstrat (sintered glass I think), make sure the noodles etc are placed so that water passes them AFTER the sponges then it won't clog as fast and will need next to no maintenance. I'd only ever use carbon if I need to soak up some meds, even then I buy raw activated charcoal pellets and put them in a washing bag in the filter for a week or so, don't waste money on fancy packets and such.

I think a lot of these tank manufacturers build in a 'service' income with their filter designs by both ensuring that it is hard to use anything but their spares in them, thus you will feel that you need to replace the standard but 'made to measure I fit nothing else' pads and other gubbins in accordance with their recommendations - if you ask me most of the filters I have encountered that are built into tanks are of questionable efficiency in standard form and designed only to generate revenue.

Often it seems that ammonia and carbon, even nitrate sponges are standard in these 'ready to roll all inclusive' tanks but I think this prevents the filter developing properly and becoming almost self sustaning - oh and free - but free doesn't make them money, perhaps I am cynical but thats my opinion.

Maintaining tank conditions with chemicals and fancy filter sponges is high maintenance and too much like hard work for a lazy git like me (I know I tried it when I first started keeping fish), let nature do the work instead then you have more time to sit back with a coffee and watch.